Method of inhibiting methaphetamine synthesis

ABSTRACT

A method of inhibiting or preventing the use of anhydrous ammonia as a solvent in a dissolving metal reduction process comprises adding to anhydrous ammonia a chemical reagent which is capable of scavenging solvated electrons generated when alkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia, the chemical reagent being added to the anhydrous ammonia such that when alkali metal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia containing the chemical reagent and thereafter ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or combination thereof is introduced to the anhydrous ammonia to produce a reaction product, the methamphetamine yield in the reaction product is below 50%, preferably below 10%, and more preferably below 1%. Preferred chemical reagents include Fe(III)citrate, ferrocene, 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage filing under 35 USC 371 ofInternational Application No. PCT/US01/19810, filed Jun. 21, 2001, whichclaims the benefit of prior filed co-pending U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/289,461, filed on May 8, 2001.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST

This invention was made with Government support under Contract No.N00024-98-D-8124 awarded by the Department of the Navy. The Governmenthas certain rights in the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for inhibiting the synthesisof methamphetamine via the reduction of ephedrine (also known as(−)ephedrine, 1-ephedrine,[1R,2S]-(−)-2-methylamino)-1-phenylpropan-1-ol), or its stereoisomerpseudoephedrine (also known as (+)-P-ephedrine, d-isoephedrine,d-pseudoephedrine, [1S,2S]-(+)-2-[methylamino]-1-phenylpropan-1-ol)).More particularly, this invention relates to the introduction of achemical reagent into anhydrous ammonia, a common solvent used in theillicit synthesis of methamphetamine (also known as(S)-N,α-dimethylbenzene-ethanamine, (S)-(+)-N,α-dimethylphenethylamine,d-N-methylamphetamine, d-deoxyephedrine, d-desoxyephedrine,1-phenyl-2-methylaminopropane, d-phenylisopropylmethylamine,methyl-β-phenylisopropylamine, and Norodin), so as to inhibit and/orprevent the use of the ammonia in the reduction ofephedrine/pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine.

2. Description of the Related Art

Of all the drugs of abuse, methamphetamine is the only one so simple toprepare that the individual user can make it independently. It isestimated that 99% of the clandestine laboratories in the United Statesare involved in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine. Anincreasing number of the clandestine methamphetamine laboratories(currently roughly estimated at 20%) use a procedure known as adissolving metal reduction, Birch reduction, or in the popularliterature as the “Nazi” method, of ephedrine or pseudoephedrinecommonly extracted from over-the-counter medications. The details forthe synthesis are readily available from the open literature and theInternet. Unlike other synthetic drugs, less than 10% of those arrestedfor the illicit synthesis of methamphetamine are trained chemists.

The relative ease with which methamphetamine is manufactured has led toa proliferation of small-scale “mom and pop” operations. The small-scalelabs produce only a small amount of the methamphetamine available inthis country. However, clandestine laboratories, often operated bycriminally minded individuals untrained in the handling of dangerouschemicals, pose threats of fire, explosion, poison gas, booby traps, andthe illegal dumping of hazardous waste. The solvent of choice used forthe Nazi synthesis is anhydrous ammonia, often obtained by theft fromfarmers' supply tanks. The thieves normally pilfer only a few gallons ofanhydrous ammonia but too often are the cause of major ammonia spills.Such spills have not only resulted in the loss of thousands of gallonsof ammonia for individual farmers, but have resulted in the evacuationsof entire towns due to the toxic cloud of ammonia produced.

The handling of anhydrous ammonia is an extraordinarily dangerousactivity. The liquid is extremely cold (boiling point, −28° F.) and thevapor is highly volatile. Contact of the liquid with skin or mucusmembranes causes a combination of frostbite, direct ammonolysis of theskin by ammonia, and saponification of the epidermal fats by ammoniumhydroxide formed by the reaction of ammonia and water. A very realconcern is severe injury to children who learn about methamphetaminesynthesis from the Internet without knowledge of the risks associatedwith the handling of anhydrous ammonia.

The small-scale clandestine laboratories are often considered to be moredangerous than the larger scale labs. Smaller scale laboratories sufferfrom amateur chemists inexperienced in the handling of hazardouschemicals and the consequences of potential accidents. This point isevident from the large number of children present at clandestinelaboratories seized in 1999, nearly 870 children were reported to be atthe sites with 180 exposed to toxic chemicals and 12 found injured bythe chemicals.

The small size of the clandestine methamphetamine labs and the brieftime required for the methamphetamine synthesis provide stealth for thelaboratories. The required equipment will easily fit into the trunk of acar. The methamphetamine synthesis can be carried out in a hotel room oron the side of the road before disposing of the waste and concealing thelaboratory equipment. The Nazi method enjoys the advantage of producingrelatively little odor compared with other synthetic methods, greatlyminimizing the risk of detection.

The key reagent in the Nazi methamphetamine synthesis is the solvatedelectron. The solvated electron is a potent reducing agent and issufficiently long-lived in liquid ammonia that it is useful forsynthetic purposes. Dissolving metal reagents, typically alkali andalkaline earth metals, in anhydrous ammonia generates the solvatedelectron, as follows, using lithium as an example:${{Li}\overset{{NH}_{3}}{\longrightarrow}{{Li}\left( {NH}_{3} \right)}_{n}^{+}} + {{e\left( {NH}_{3} \right)}_{m}^{-}.}$where Li is lithium metal, NH₃ is the ammonia solvent, and Li(NH₃)_(n) ⁺and e(NH₃)_(m) ⁻ are the ammonia solvated lithium ion and electron,respectively. The proposed mechanism of the dissolving metal reductionreaction involves the two-electron reduction of ephedrine orpseudoephedrine to give the methamphetamine product, as follows:

where the chirality of the carbon center alpha to the phenyl ring islost during the reduction.

It is an object of the present invention to increase the level ofdifficulty, time, equipment, and supplies necessary to synthesizemethamphetamine by the dissolving metal reduction method. Because theaverage methamphetamine producer has relatively low chemistry skills,increasing the level of difficulty is expected to significantly decreasethe number of individuals capable of conducting the procedure.Additionally, by increasing the time, equipment, and supplies requiredfor the synthesis, the risk of detection of the clandestine laboratorywill increase as well.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method ofpreventing methamphetamine synthesis from anhydrous ammonia wherebyelectrons present in the ammonia will react with a chemical reagent inpreference over ephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine. By this method, thereagent will interfere with, or eliminate, the ability of electrons toreduce ephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine.

It is an object of the invention therefore to identify chemical reagentswhich will react with solvated electrons more efficiently than ephedrineand/or pseudo ephedrine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and further objects of the invention are accomplished by a methodof inhibiting or preventing the use of anhydrous ammonia as a solvent ina dissolving metal reduction process which comprises adding to anhydrousammonia a chemical reagent which is capable of scavenging solvatedelectrons generated when an alkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolvedin the anhydrous ammonia containing the chemical reagent, the chemicalreagent being added to the anhydrous ammonia in a methamphetaminesynthesis-inhibiting amount, such that when alkali or alkaline earthmetal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia containing the chemicalreagent and thereafter ephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine is introduced tothe anhydrous ammonia to produce a reaction product, the methamphetamineyield in the reaction product is below 50%, preferably below 10% andmore preferably below 1%.

The chemical reagent utilized in accordance with the invention can bedivided into two distinct categories. The first category is a compoundcapable of undergoing a finite number of one-electron reductionprocesses. Compounds that exhibit reactivity of this type will bereferred to herein as “stoichiometric compounds”. Organic chemicalcompounds and halogenated derivatives thereof typically fall under thiscategory. The disadvantage of this approach is that, in principle, thestoichiometric compounds can be overcome by the addition of excesslithium metal. The second category is a compound that is capable ofcatalyzing the conversion of the solvated electrons into an unreactiveform. Compounds of this class will be referred to as “catalyticcompounds”. The distinct advantage of catalytic compounds is that it isnot, in principle, possible to overcome the catalyst by the addition ofexcess lithium. The catalyst will simply regenerate itself and consumethe excess electrons. Metal ion coordination compounds andorganometallic compounds typically fall under this category.

The phrase “methamphetamine synthesis-reducing amount” is defined hereinas that quantity of electron scavenging chemical reagent sufficient toreduce the methamphetamine yield from anhydrous ammonia using thedissolving metal reduction process to below about 50%. The term“scavenging” utilized herein refers to the ability of the chemicalreagent to preferentially react with solvated electrons relative toephedrine/pseudoephedrine. “Methamphetamine yield” is obtained from theratio of ephedrine and methamphetamine present in the reaction productas determined by suitable chromatographic separation. The yield ofmethamphetamine as a function of additive concentration can beempirically represented by the following relation:% Methamphetamine Yield=Y _(min)+(Y _(max) −Y _(min))/(1+exp((MP−MP₅₀)/d(MP))where Y_(min) is the minimum methamphetamine yield obtained at infiniteconcentration of chemical reagent, Y_(max) is the maximum yield ofmethamphetamine observed in the absence of chemical reagent, MP is themole % of chemical reagent relative to lithium, MP₅₀ is the mole % ofchemical reagent at which 50% quenching is observed, and d(MP) is thederivative with respect to the mole % at MP₅₀. The MP₅₀ value provides aconvenient, quantitative means of comparing the scavenging efficiency ofvarious chemical reagents.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the dissolving metal reduction method of methamphetamine synthesis,the ephedrine or pseudo-ephedrine starting ingredient is obtained, oftenby extraction from over-the-counter cold medication. Anhydrous ammoniais obtained, typically by theft from agricultural supplies. Lithiummetal is obtained from lithium batteries. Lithium metal is dissolved inthe liquid, anhydrous ammonia to give a blue colored solution, to whichephedrine is added. The ammonia is allowed to boil off leaving thecrude, free-base methamphetamine product, which is typically purified bycommon practice and converted to the hydrochloride salt.

Anhydrous ammonia is a commonly used solvent in chemistry. Theproperties of anhydrous ammonia are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Physical Properties of Anhydrous Ammonia Vapor Pressure: ˜10 atmat 22° C. Normal Boiling Point: −33° C. Normal Freezing Point: −78°Dielectric Constant: ˜22 at −34° C. Density: 0.75 g cm⁻³ at −60° C.Autoprotolysis: 2NH₃ = NH₄ ⁺NH₂ ⁻ pK = 32.5

Anhydrous ammonia is structurally related to water but has a reducedability to dissolve ionic compounds due to its lower dielectricconstant. The blue color of the solution is due to the solvated electronformed by ionization of the metal, as follows:${{Li}\overset{{NH}_{3}}{\longrightarrow}{{Li}\left( {NH}_{3} \right)}_{n}^{+}} + {{e\left( {NH}_{3} \right)}_{m}^{-}.}$where all species have been previously defined.

The significance to chemists is that a solvated electron is a powerfulchemical reagent. The solvated electron is both a strong base and astrong reducing agent.

The solvated electron is stable in ammonia solutions for long periods oftime but in the presence of many compounds, it undergoes rapid reactionto yield reduced products. The Nazi methamphetamine synthesis takesadvantage of the electron/ammonia solutions in a relatively simple andhigh yield preparation of the drug that uses readily available startingmaterials.

A proposed reaction mechanism for the dissolving metal reduction methodis as follows:

The key to the reaction, and its defeat, is the reaction of the solvatedelectron with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. If the solvated electron isconsumed by a chemical reagent at a rate significantly higher than itsreaction with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, methamphetamine synthesiswill be inhibited or prevented.

A wide range of chemical reagents will react with the highly reactive,strongly reducing, solvated electron in anhydrous ammonia. Forconvenience, the reagents are divided into two categories:stoichiometric compounds and catalytic compounds. Such compounds can bedissolved in ammonia to create a homogeneous solution, or they mayremain undissolved and provide a heterogeneous surface for reaction. Theprinciple of the present invention therefore is that synthesis ofmethamphetamine from anhydrous ammonia via the dissolving metalreduction method can be effectively inhibited through the introductionof a chemical reagent or mixture thereof into anhydrous ammonia wherebythe chemical reagent scavenges solvated electrons generated when alkalimetal is dissolved therein. The inventors have demonstrated that theaddition of such chemical reagent(s) to anhydrous ammonia cansignificantly inhibit, and in some cases practically eliminate theproduction of methamphetamine from the anhydrous ammonia containing thechemical reagent.

Factors which may influence the selection of an individual chemicalreagent is the compound's boiling point, the solubility of the compoundin ammonia, the effect of the compound on the legitimate use of ammoniaby farmers, the amount of compound necessary to achieve the desiredresult, the cost of the compound, and the impact of the compound on theenvironment. Choosing a compound which possesses a boiling point closeto that of ammonia increases the likelihood that the compound will becarried over during a distillation of the ammonia, thus making removalof the compound from ammonia very difficult. Compounds that are solublein ammonia will prevent gumming of spray equipment utilized by farmersto apply the ammonia fertilizer to crops. Use of compounds containingmicronutrients, e.g., transition metals such as iron or molybdenum, willpromote plant growth. Utilizing these criteria, those of ordinary skillin the art can readily identify suitable compounds through routineexperimentation.

Stoichiometric Compounds

Stoichiometric compounds are capable of undergoing a finite number ofone-electron reduction processes and include organic chemical compoundsand halogenated derivatives thereof. The amount of stoichiometriccompound added to anhydrous ammonia can range broadly and is dependentupon the number of one-electron reductions that the compound isthermodynamically capable of undergoing. Halogenated compounds areparticularly preferred since each halogen atom is theoretically capableof scavenging two electrons. The amount reagent needed, in units ofmoles, to suppress the methamphetamine yield, i.e., the methamphetaminesynthesis-inhibiting amount, is equal to the number of moles of lithiumdivided by the number of electrons that the reagent is capable ofreacting with. The amount of stoichiometric compound utilized willtypically range broadly from about 10⁻⁵ to about 0.1 mmol per mL ofanhydrous ammonia, preferably from about 10⁻³ to about 10⁻² mmol per mLof anhydrous ammonia. Compounds that are acidic in anhydrous ammoniahave proven to be effective at inhibiting methamphetamine synthesis whenpresent in high concentration. Preferred organic compounds orhalogenated derivatives thereof for use in accordance with the presentinvention include urea, α-tocopherol (vitamin E) and derivativesthereof, pentamethylchromanol, 1-chloromethyl naphthalene,trichloroethylene, 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine and1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane.

Catalytic Compounds

Catalytic compounds accelerate the reaction of electrons with theammonia solvent to produce the amide anion and hydrogen gas, as follows:${2{NH}_{3}} + {2{e_{s}^{-}\overset{catalyst}{\longrightarrow}2}{NH}_{2}^{-}} + H_{2}$

The catalyst removes the kinetic stability of the electrons, increasingtheir rate of reaction with the ammonia solvent. A catalyst is achemical that increases the rate of a chemical reaction but is notconsumed in the reaction and is thus used repeatedly. The amide ion, NH₂⁻, produced by the catalytic reaction is a weaker base and less powerfulreducing agent than the solvated electron and cannot reduceephedrine/pseudoephedrine. Therefore, the addition of a small amount ofthe catalyst will render anhydrous ammonia useless to the clandestinedrug producers. The methamphetamine synthesis-inhibiting amount ofcatalytic compound utilized will typically range broadly from about 10⁻⁹to about 0.1 mmol per mL of anhydrous ammonia, preferably from about10⁻⁵ to about 10⁻³ mmol per mL of anhydrous ammonia. Preferred catalyticcompounds include metal coordination compounds, more preferablytransition metal coordination compounds such as, for example, Fe(III)compounds including FeCl₃, Fe(III) citrate, Fe(acetylacetonate)₃, andFe(F₆-acetylacetonate)₃, Fe(II) compounds including FeCl₂ andorganometallic compounds such as ferrocene and ferrocene derivatives,such as the ferrocene derivatives described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,053,296and 4,167,405, incorporated by reference herein. Ferrocene is the mostpreferred organometallic compound.

The invention now will be described with respect to the followingexamples; however, the scope of the present invention is not intended tobe limited thereby.

EXAMPLES

The following general reaction procedure was employed for each of theexamples hereinbelow:

Anhydrous ammonia gas was condensed in a 25 mL schlenk tube immersed ina dry ice/isopropanol bath to a volume of 10 mL of liquid ammonia. Thechemical reagent was added, either neat or as a THF solution, withmagnetic stirring. Lithium metal, ca. 29 mg was added to the liquidammonia producing a dark blue solution. THF, 1 mL, was added as acosolvent. A solution of (1R,2S)-(−)-ephedrine, 100 mg dissolved in 1 mLdry THF, was added dropwise to the blue ammonia solution with magneticstirring. The reaction mixture was allowed to stir for ca. 10 min. afterephedrine addition was complete before excess solid NH₄Cl was added toquench the reaction. The reaction mixture was then allowed to warm toambient temperature and the ammonia allowed to boil off. The resultingresidue was partitioned between 10 mL water and 10 mL diethyl ether. Theaqueous layer was further extracted with 2×20 mL diethyl ether. Thecombined ether layers were dried over MgSO₄ and the ether evaporated togive a clear oil. Analysis of the product was carried out by TLC(silica,. CHCl₃/EtOH/NH₄OH, 88:10:2) and GC-MS using authenticstandards. The yields were evaluated from chromatographic separationusing the ratio of methamphetamine to ephedrine. No significant sideproducts were identifed in the reactions investigated.

The data in Table 2 below identify the chemical reagents used for eachexample, amount of chemical reagent used and the methamphetamine yield.

Each of the reagents set forth below were obtained commercially and wereof the highest purity available, except for iron(III)1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro acetylacetonates, (iron(III)1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionate) which were synthesized asfollows: Iron(III) chloride hexahydrate (2.162 g, 8.000 mmol) wasdissolved in water (15 mL), resulting in a yellow-orange solution, andstirred at rome temperature. Neat1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione (5.000 g, 24.00 mmol) was addeddropwise to the stirring solution and the color immediately turned red.After stirring for 15 minutes, product began to separate as a darksolid. Stirring was continued for another 2 hrs when product ceased toform. Filtration, washing with water (˜15 mL) and drying under vacuumgave crude product as an orange-brown solid. Recrystallization fromaqueous ethanol gave 217 mg of purified product as a brick-red solid(mp. 110° C. [dec.]). Yield: 0.319 mmol, 4.0%.

The amounts of each chemical reagent set forth in Table 2 are expressedas a mol % relative to the amount of lithium added. The methamphetaminesynthethic yield values in Table 2 are expressed as a percentage of themethamphetamine/ephedrine ratio.

TABLE 2 Example Amount of Methamphe- No. Chemical Reagent ChemicalReagent tamine Yield 1 Urea  23% 37% 2 α-Tocopherol  14% 1% 31-chloromethyl naphthalene  14% 1% 4 trichloroethylene  14% 1% 52-chloro-6-(tri-  10% 31% chloromethyl)-pyridine 61,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane  10% 5% 7 FeCl₃ 1.0% 19% 8 FeCl₃ + H₂O 1.0% 3%9 FeCl₂ 1.0% 0% 10 Fe(III)citrate 1.2% 0% 11 Fe(acac)₃ 0.1% 0% 12Fe(F₃-acac)₃ 0.1% 0% 13 Fe(F₆-acac)₃ 0.1% 0% 14 Ferrocene 0.1% 31%

It can readily be seen from the data in Table 2 that the incorporationof an electron scavenger in anhydrous ammonia significantly inhibits theproduction of methamphetamine from the anhydrous ammonia.

Several reactions were studied in sufficient detail to evaluate MP₅₀values, i.e., the amount of additive, relative to the amount of lithiummetal, at which the methamphetamine yield is reduced to 50%. Theseresults are listed in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Example Additive MP₅₀/mol % ^(a) 15 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine 9.22 ± 0.9  16 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane 7.1 ± 0.2 17 Iron(III)Citrate  0.8 ± 0.08 18 Ferrocene 0.055 ± 0.007 ^(a) The MP₅₀ value is anestimate of the amount of additive needed to reduce the methamphetamineyield by 50%, where the amount is given in mol % relative to lithiummetal. The errors quoted for examples 15 and 17 are rough estimates,whereas the errors quoted for examples 16 and 18 represent the 95%confidence interval.

Examples 15 and 16 are halogenated organic compounds that can beclassified as stochiometric reagents. It can reasonably be expected thathalogenated organic molecules will react with two electrons for eachhalogen atom the molecule possess, and this assumption is consistentwith the observed yields. The two iron compounds are catalyticcompounds. Fe(III) citrate is capable of scavenging ≧80 electrons andferrocene was observed to scavenge ≧1000 electrons. The efficiency offerrocene as a catalyst for the inhibition of methamphetamine synthesisis remarkable. Ferrocene has been found to be soluble in ammonia at theconcentration needed for activity, i.e., 4×10⁻⁴ M. Ferrocene has provento be potent inhibitor, reducing the methamphetamine yield to near zeroat concentrations as low as 0.1 mol % relative to lithium, or 4×10⁻⁴mmol/mL ammonia.

1. A method of inhibiting or preventing the use of anhydrous ammonia asa solvent in a dissolving metal reduction process which comprises:adding to anhydrous ammonia a chemical reagent which is capable ofscavenging solvated electrons generated when an alkali or alkaline earthmetal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia containing the chemicalreagent, the chemical reagent being added to the anhydrous ammonia in amethamphetamine synthesis-inhibiting amount, such that when alkali oralkaline earth metal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia containingthe chemical reagent and thereafter ephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine isintroduced to the anhydrous ammonia to produce a reaction product, themethamphetamine yield in the reaction product is below 50%.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the methamphetamine yield is below 10%.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the methamphetamine yield is below 1%.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the chemical reagent is a stoichiometriccompound capable of undergoing a finite number of one-electron reductionprocesses.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the stoichiometric compoundis an organic compound or halogenated derivative thereof.
 6. The methodof claim 5 wherein the organic chemical compound or halogenatedderivative thereof is selected from the group consisting of urea,α-tocopherol, pentamethylchromanol, 1-chloromethyl naphthalene,trichloroethylene, 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine and1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane and mixtures thereof.
 7. The method of claim 5wherein the organic compound or halogenated derivative thereof is2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine.
 8. The method of claim 5 whereinthe organic compound or halogenated derivative thereof is1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the chemicalreagent is a catalytic compound which reacts with solvated electrons ina catalytic process that removes the kinetic stability of the solvatedelectrons causing the solvated electrons to undergo rapid reaction toyield reduced products thereby removing the solvated electrons.
 10. Themethod of claim 9 wherein the catalytic compound accelerates thereaction of the solvated electrons with ammonia to produce a reactionproduct containing amide anion and hydrogen gas.
 11. The method of claim9 wherein the catalytic compound is selected from the group consistingof metal ion coordination compounds and organometallic compounds. 12.The method of claim 11 wherein the metal ion coordination compound is atransition metal ion coordination compound.
 13. The method of claim 11wherein the metal ion coordination compound is a Fe(III) compound. 14.The method of claim 13 wherein the Fe(III) compound is selected from thegroup consisting of FeCl₃, Fe(III)citrate, Fe(acetylacetonate)₃ andFe(F₆-acetylacetonate)₃.
 15. The method of claim 11 wherein the metalion coordination compound is a Fe(II) compound.
 16. The method of claim15 wherein the Fe(II) compound is FeCl₂.
 17. The method of claim 11wherein the organometallic compound is ferrocene or a derivative offerrocene.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the chemical reagent isferrocene and the methamphetamine yield is reduced to below 1%.
 19. Amethod of inhibiting or preventing the use of anhydrous ammonia as asolvent in a dissolving metal reduction process which comprises: addingto anhydrous ammonia a catalytic compound which reacts with solvatedelectrons generated when an alkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolvedin the anhydrous ammonia in a catalytic process that converts thesolvated electrons into an unreactive form, the catalytic compound beingadded to the anhydrous ammonia in a methamphetamine synthesis-inhibitingamount such that when alkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolved in theanhydrous ammonia containing the catalytic compound and thereafterephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine is introduced to the anhydrous ammoniato produce a reaction product, the methamphetamine yield in the reactionproduct is below 50%.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein themethamphetamine yield in the reaction product is reduced to below 10%.21. The method of claim 19 wherein the catalytic compound is a metal ioncoordination compound.
 22. The method of claim 19 wherein the catalyticcompound is an organometallic compound.
 23. The method of claim 21wherein the metal ion coordination compound is a transition metal ioncoordination compound.
 24. The method of claim 21 wherein the metal ioncoordination compound is a Fe(II) compound.
 25. The method of claim 24wherein the Fe(III) compound is selected from the group consisting ofFeCl₃, Fe(III)citrate, Fe(acetyl acetonate)₃ andFe(F₆-acetylacetonate)₃.
 26. The method of claim 21 wherein the metalion coordination compound is a Fe(II) compound.
 27. The method of claim26 wherein the Fe(II) compound is FeCl₂.
 28. The method of claim 22wherein the organometallic compound is ferrocene or a derivative offerrocene.
 29. A method of inhibiting or preventing the use of anhydrousammonia as a solvent in a dissolving metal reduction process whichcomprises: adding to anhydrous ammonia a stoichiometric compound whichis capable of undergoing a reaction with solvated electrons generatedwhen an alkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolved in the anhydrousammonia, the stoichiometric compound being added to the anhydrousammonia in a methamphetamine synthesis-inhibiting amount such that whenalkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammoniacontaining the stoichiometric compound and thereafter ephedrine and/orpseudoephedrine is introduced to the anhydrous ammonia to produce areaction product, the methamphetamine yield in the reaction product isbelow 50%.
 30. The method of claim 29 wherein the methamphetamine yieldin the reaction product is reduced to below 10%.
 31. The method of claim29 wherein the stoichiometric compound is an organic compound orhalogenated derivative thereof.
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein theorganic chemical compound or halogenated derivative thereof is selectedfrom the group consisting of urea, α-tocopherol, pentamethylchromanol,1-chloromethyl naphthalene, trichloroethylene,2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine and 1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane andmixtures thereof.
 33. The method of claim 31 wherein the organiccompound or halogenated derivative thereof is2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine.
 34. The method of claim 31wherein the organic compound or halogenated derivative thereof is1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane.